Why we should all improve our 'customer service' skills


What do you think of when you hear the words 'customer service'?  There's numerous definitions floating around but more often than not we associate customer service with companies.

"the assistance and advice provided by a company to those people who buy or use its products or services"

I started thinking about this topic in more detail following two very bad examples of customer service from two separate high street banks and two very different experiences.

The first experience involved a complete breakdown in communication between a number of bank departments yet every single person I spoke to was polite, friendly and understanding.  All very well and good but nothing ever got actioned and the whole sorry state of affairs dragged on for almost 3 months.  By the end of last week I'd reached my tolerance limit and I was practically begging and pleading for someone to help me.  I was trying to sort a very sensitive and distressing issue and by this time, urgently needed access to an account that I was trying to set up for Power of Attorney.  Let's just say that working for a debt management company, I have a whole new understanding for how shockingly easy it is to get into debt through no real fault of your own.  Thankfully, the last person I spoke to realised my frustration and calmly said "don't worry, I'm going to fix this for you today", which she did.

The second experience was truly disgraceful and involved holding on the phone between 1-3 hours every time I tried to call them.  When I eventually spoke to someone, there was no apology, they were downright rude and demanded I "follow their procedure", which was flawed to say the least.  Long story short, I ended up being locked out of my business account for almost 5 days and not so much as a "sorry".

Everyone makes mistakes, things go wrong, systems fail but all you really want to hear is for someone to say "I'm sorry to hear that but let's fix that for you".  How you put things right following things going wrong speaks an awful lot about you.  It's still possible to have a 'good experience' following 'bad customer service'.

However, customer service is not the sole responsibility of companies, we're all responsible for providing customer service whether it's to a family member, friends, our employer or colleagues.  It may not be in the 'traditional' sense of 'customer service' but wouldn't you class appreciation, gratitude, kindness, respect, to name but a few as 'customer service', I know I would.

So how can YOU provide good 'customer service' to everyone who crosses your path?

  • Show empathy and understanding - We're all too quick to judge people but take a moment to put yourself in that other person's shoes.  Your boss, friend, partner might be having a really bad day.
  • Be a problem solver - Offer solutions, what does your 'customer' need from you.  If it's not 100% achievable, what else can you offer?  For example, "I can't finish that report tonight as I have a prior engagement but I will get it to you in the morning".  
  • Give the other person your full attention - Listen, I mean REALLY listen, to the other person and repeat the key facts back to them.  Probably one of the most common phrases uttered to our partners is "you're not listening to me, are you?"  Don't they deserve your attention just as much as anyone else?  Don't take people for granted, the simple act of listening means so much to the other person.
  • Communicate, communicate, communicate - Inform the other person what you are going to do, every step of the way.  For example "that report will be with you in 10 minutes", "I'll be home in 30 minutes".
This list could go on and on but hopefully these few pointers will make you stop and think.  Remember, you can treat any situation as if it needs 'customer service' applying to it.

#2021

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